the lines are still good

﻿Follow the happenings of an animated college tennis coach and his teams in their pursuit of an NCAA National Tennis Championship. It is always the impressive trophy that is displayed for all to admire that gets the attention, but it is the journey to claiming that trophy, the relationships built, the people served and the memories created, that live forever...and what I hope you will find interesting...

Monday, January 23, 2012

Hey, I am no Lleyton Hewitt fan but I would certainly take his heart in a player any day. His will to win is pretty strong and I admire that in a player. This is the kind of determination that your Clippers will need to win a championship this year.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

The fall semester grades have been recorded and there is plenty of good news to report for both the men and women of the court here at Concordia.

Your Clipper men posted a solid 2.98 GPA for the fall with 2 players, Mark Mozer and Geza Bazula, achieving perfect 4.0 semesters. These two, along with two others, Benas Majauskas and Dani Piludu, have eclipsed the 3.5 GPA necessary to be ITA Academic All-Americans if they can keep up the good work in the spring. All four will appear on the college's Dean's List for the semester. Whereas the 2.98 team GPA is solid, it is slightly below our goal of 3.2 which is the necessary GPA to achieve the ITA Academic All-American Team standing.

The Clipper women have really impressed with a team GPA of 3.67 for the semester. This is a tremendous accomplishment considering this was achieved during their championship season which requires great tennis demands in addition to the academic tasks. Congratulations to Ana Mendes who achieved a perfect 4.0 for the semester. In addition to Ana, Juliana Frey, Camilla Xavier, and Yuliya Plevako all also achieved a 3.5 or better and will appear on the Dean's List for the semester. Clearly the women's team is in great shape to have several individual Academic All-Americans as well as to secure the team award.

The coaching staff takes great pride in the team's successes off the tennis court. We always strive to have good student athletes that will be ready to succeed in society upon graduation.

Yours truly...

I got involved with Concordia Tennis as a way to honor my parents who were both professors and coaches at the college back in the 1960's and also to give back to the program that provided so much for me.
I started with a dream of taking a team to the National "Sweet 16". However, once we got there and I saw what it took to win a National Championship, it looked possible and that became my goal. I thought for a long time that I must have one. However, over time, I realized that it is more important to focus on building champions rather than winning championships and that relationships are far more important than achievements. Thus, a stronger purpose became clear. I am here to love, serve, care for and lead my teams...

Quotes:

"I came to realize that life lived to help others is the only one that matters, and that it is my duty, in return for the lavish life God has devolved upon me, to help others he has placed in my path." - Ben Stein

"You are never really playing an opponent. You are playing yourself, your own highest standards, and when you reach your limits, that is real joy." - Arthur Ashe